This four-week course fulfills the requirement of basic pitch, rhythm, and score-reading skills needed for some introductory courses and 2000-level courses with prerequisites.

Full details for MUSIC 1100 - Elements of Musical Notation

This course is designed to develop and strengthen your fundamental musical skills through embodied music interaction. You will compose, improvise, listen, and perform. You will use fundamental musical materials such as chords, melodies, and rhythms, and learn to notate music with accepted systems and describe it with appropriate terminologies. Using your voice, the keyboard, and other instruments, you will stimulate your creativity, refine your listening skills, and put your ideas into practice. The course will address music-making from a diverse set of cultures and traditions, and the skills you acquire will be transferable to a wide range of applications. (MUSIC-MT)

Full details for MUSIC 1105 - The Musician's Toolbox: Building Musical Skills

A hands-on, half-semester (7 weeks) course on fundamental techniques for recording and live music production. Students will learn best practices for sound engineering, studio recording, and live performance production using various analog and digital hardware and software tools. (MUSIC-MT)

Full details for MUSIC 1199 - Elements of Studio Production and Recording

This course examines the development and cultural significance of rock music from its origins in blues, gospel, and Tin Pan Alley up to alternative rock and hip hop. The course concludes with the year 2000. (MUSIC-HC)

Full details for MUSIC 1312 - History of Rock Music

This First-Year Writing seminar provides the opportunity to write extensively about music's place in our world. Topics vary by section. TermTopicInstructorFall, SpringThe Story of a SongN. Vigilante.FallAnimal Music: From Cicadas to WhalesA. Lewandowski. (MUSIC-HC)

Full details for MUSIC 1701 - FWS: Sound, Sense and Ideas

Theory, Materials, and Techniques II surveys tonal music as conceived and practiced throughout late-eighteenth and nineteenth-century Europe. The course combines modern pedagogical methods with the study of relevant historical sources and incorporates active learning at the keyboard. Topics to be covered include the analysis of form and genre; advanced techniques of modulation; transformational theory and other approaches to the configuration of diatonicism and chromaticism; and the relationship of words and music in nineteenth-century song. During section meetings, the concepts and skills introduced in lecture will be practiced at the keyboard as well as vocally. Other topics to be covered in sections include advanced aural skills; sight singing; score reading; and the improvisation of preludes. (MUSIC-MT)

Full details for MUSIC 2102 - Tonal Structure and Design in Classical, Jazz, and Popular Music II

This course introduces students to the study of music as an expression of history and culture by examining the ways in which music creates meaning, knowledge, archives, and identities. Musical examples will be drawn from a broad range of styles, chronological periods, and geographical locations; and students will engage with live performance as well as various forms of recorded music and mediated performance. Along with considering music as sound, the course will examine different modalities of writing about music-journalistic, academic, and creative-and we will think about how these musical texts, and those that the students produce, function to situate music as discourse. The course will develop critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills. (MUSIC-HC)

Full details for MUSIC 2201 - Introduction to Music Studies

The musical is a distinct and significant form of American performance. This course will consider the origins, development, and internationalization of the American musical and will emphasize the interpenetration of the history of musical theatre with the history of the United States in the 20th century and beyond. We will investigate how political, social, and economic factors shape the production of important American musical-and how in turn musicals shape expressions of personal identity and national ideology. Key texts include Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Hair, and Rent. (ENGL-LOA, ENGL-PST, MUSIC-HC, PMA-HTC)

Full details for MUSIC 2250 - The American Musical

This workshop in music journalism will sharpen your prose, your mind, and your tongue. We'll read the work of great journalists of the past and present who've written ardently and unforgettably about music - Joseph Addison, Hector Berlioz, Robert Schumann, George Bernard Shaw, Paul Griffiths, Greil Marcus, Stanley Crouch, and Alex Ross, among others. Thus inspired, we'll dive into the vibrant musical scene of Cornell and beyond, each participant writing weekly pieces for the class blog, whose title and format will be determined by class members. In the course of the semester each student will accumulate a substantial portfolio of journalism and stroke a love of writing about music. (MUSIC-HC)

Full details for MUSIC 2311 - The Art and Craft of Music Journalism

In this course students will analyze the development of black musical traditions from a diasporic perspective and extend their musical awareness beyond familiar timelines and geographies. The intention of this course is for students to develop a deeper understanding of black music composition, structure, and form by introducing higher-level musical language and grammar. This will include musical notation, rhythmic and harmonic analysis, part-writing, listening, and other skills that can facilitate a deeper engagement with black musical cultures. By the end of the course, students will develop their own theoretical interpretations of what unites and distinguishes black musical practices across time and space. (MUSIC-HC)

Full details for MUSIC 2321 - Groove: Black Music Theory

This course surveys the broad range of music originating in Asia, from Arab maqam to Japanese gagaku, Mongolian khoomii to Carnatic solkattu. A primary goal is understanding what makes these musics distinct, in aspects such as pitch, time, timbre, organization, and how pieces of music are created and transmitted. In working towards this you will develop skills in critical listening and technical analysis, which we will also apply to identifying how traditional elements show up in contemporary genres, and what changes and what is retained when traditional genres are modernized. Complementing this theoretically-oriented work, we will also engage in music directly through vocal and rhythmic exercises, and hands-on instruction in Javanese gamelan.

Full details for MUSIC 2343 - Theories of Asian Musics

This course explores the tools and techniques used to score film, television, video games, and other forms of media. Just as importantly, the course critically examines both what shapes a soundtrack and how they shape us. What narratives, conventions, and ideologies lie behind music and sound on screen? And how do they influence the way we feel and think? Students will score and re-score music and sound effects for selected scenes and games, developing skills in music composition, theory, and music production. Written work required involves critical analysis of soundtracks from mainstream media alongside international arthouse and experimental scenes. No Music background is required.

Full details for MUSIC 2430 - Critical Scoring for Media

From hieroglyphs to HTML, ancient poetry to audiotape, and Plato's cave to virtual reality, Thinking Media offers a multidisciplinary introduction to the most influential media formats of the last three millennia. Featuring an array of guests from across Cornell, including faculty from Communication, Comparative Literature, German Studies, Information Science, Literatures in English, Music, and Performing & Media Arts, the course will present diverse perspectives on how to think with, against, and about media in relation to the public sphere and private life, archaeology and science fiction, ethics and aesthetics, identity and difference, labor and play, knowledge and power, expression and surveillance, and the generation and analysis of data. (MUSIC-HC)

Full details for MUSIC 2703 - Thinking Media

This course asks a deceptively simple question: what do we mean by “American music?” This class explores how the idea of American music was constructed, debated, and contested from the nineteenth century to the present. Rather than treating national identity as self-evident, the course asks by what criteria—and by whose authority—music has been claimed as American. Students will study historical and contemporary debates about folk music, art music, popular music, race, indigeneity, and cultural heritage, drawing from scholarly and journalistic sources. Through close reading, discussion, and short writing assignments, participants will learn to analyze nationalist discourse critically, developing tools to recognize how cultural identities are constructed, naturalized, and contested both within music and in broader political life.

Full details for MUSIC 3323 - How Music Became “American”

This course teaches students to create interactive multimedia performance systems using sensor data. With tools such as accelerometers, depth sensors, and microphones, students build responsive systems that translate gesture into real-time audiovisual output. Through weekly creative assignments, in-class listening sessions, and group critiques, students develop technical and conceptual skills through hands-on experimentation and reflection. A weekly journal analyzing interactive works discussed in class builds the critical vocabulary needed to visualize system designs, troubleshoot technical issues, and make informed creative decisions. The course culminates in an original interactive multimedia project on a topic of each student's choosing. No prior experience in music performance or creative programming is required.

Full details for MUSIC 3425 - Playing With My Computer: Interactive Multimedia in Live Performance

Covering the basics of digital audio, bioacoustics, psychoacoustics and sound design, as they apply to theatre, film and music production. Students create soundscapes for text and moving image using ProTools software. (MUSIC-MT, PMA-DE)

Full details for MUSIC 3431 - Sound Design

Individual instruction in voice, organ, harpsichord, piano and fortepiano, violin, viola, cello, percussion, and some brass and woodwind instruments to those students advanced enough to do college-level work in these instruments. For more information about individual instruction, see the section titled Musical Instruction. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3511 - Individual Instruction

Individual instruction in voice, organ, harpsichord, piano and fortepiano, violin, viola, cello, percussion, and some brass and woodwind instruments to those students advanced enough to do college-level work in these instruments. For more information about individual instruction, see the section titled Musical Instruction. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3513 - Individual Instruction

Individual instruction in voice, organ, harpsichord, piano and fortepiano, violin, viola, cello, percussion, and some brass and woodwind instruments to those students advanced enough to do college-level work in these instruments. For more information about individual instruction, see the section titled Musical Instruction. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3514 - Individual Instruction

A nationally renowned choral ensemble and vibrant student-driven organization specializing in repertoire for sopranos and altos. Collaborates frequently with the Glee Club to present mixed-voice repertoire and major works. Maintains a rigorous rehearsal and concert schedule and performs a wide variety of choral repertoire from throughout history and across the globe. Tours and records annually. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3602 - Chorus

A nationally renowned choral ensemble and vibrant student-driven organization specializing in repertoire for tenors and basses. Collaborates frequently with the Chorus to present mixed-voice repertoire and major works. Maintains a rigorous rehearsal and concert schedule and performs a wide variety of choral repertoire from throughout history and across the globe. Tours and records annually. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3603 - Glee Club

This course provides comprehensive training designed for singers to enhance their musical skills, sight-reading abilities, and vocal technique. The Chorale functions as a performing group with a strong emphasis on cultivating vital proficiencies to an advanced standard, equipping students with the requisite musical groundwork essential for a lifelong in choral music. Open to Cornell's undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff members who share a passion for singing, the Chorale invites participation. An expedited audition process is mandatory to assess suitable ensemble placement. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3604 - Chorale

Study and performance of Central Javanese gamelan, the best known traditional music of Indonesia. For more information see https://blogs.cornell.edu/gamelan/. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3610 - Cornell Gamelan Ensemble

The Cornell Steel Band explores the wide variety of music for an orchestra of instruments fashioned from 55-gallon oil drums, and an engine room of non-pitched percussion. Interwoven into the focus on hands-on practice is reflection on the meanings of steel band, historically and in the present, in its native Trinidad and Tobago and here in the United States. Formal musical training is not necessary, though a sense of rhythm and a good ear are helpful. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3613 - Cornell Steel Band

This course is open to experienced rappers, beatmakers, and vocalists interested forging collaborative relationships with other students. Taking as a foundation hip-hop's relationship to social justice, each semester we will work together to plan and record an EP on a theme or keyword chosen as a group. We will construct and analyze playlists of inspirational material, identifying specific hip-hop compositional strategies for creating beats and rhymes on a theme, and will use these tools to create and workshop our own collaborative tracks in weekly meetings. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3616 - Cornell Hip-Hop Collective

The Cornell Symphony Orchestra provides its members the opportunity to develop their artistry and enhance their knowledge of orchestral repertoire in a dynamic and engaging environment. Students perform a variety of repertoire that encompasses from the baroque to the 21st century through a range of symphonic activities: orchestral performances, composer and repertoire readings, educational and community outreach events, tours, and collaborations with faculty and guest artists. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3621 - Cornell Symphony Orchestra

The Cornell Wind Symphony unites student musicians in an ensemble dedicated to the study and performance of emerging and traditional wind repertoire. The Cornell Wind Symphony unites student musicians in an ensemble dedicated to the study and performance of emerging and traditional wind repertoire. Full details and audition instructions will be posted on www.cuwinds.com as they become available. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3631 - Cornell Wind Symphony

The Cornell Percussion Ensemble studies and performs conducted and un-conducted percussion chamber music from the rapidly expanding repertoire. Utilizing the stylistic and sonic variety that is unique to the medium, the ensemble performs a variety of composers and styles, including pieces composed within the past few years. Members of the ensemble will develop strategic listening and communication techniques through the study of chamber music while advancing their interpretative and technical skills. The ensemble performs mostly notated music, and players should have experience with reading advanced music notation. Prior experience with percussion instruments and advanced skill in reading music notation is required. Participants must demonstrate skills to instructor via video, audio recordings, or in-person audition before receiving code to enroll. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 3634 - Cornell Percussion Group

Intended primarily for music majors, this option allows students enrolled in an approved 1000- or 2000-level 3-credit music history course to pursue independent research and writing projects. Students will study various topics in music history at a more advanced level through supplementary reading, discussion, and writing, by arrangement with the professor.

Full details for MUSIC 3901 - Supplemental Study in Music

A course for advanced undergraduate composers (by permission with a portfolio audition) seeking individual music composition instruction. In addition to individual meetings, composers may have opportunities for the reading and/or performance of their work.

Full details for MUSIC 4112 - Composition

This course is designed to build on topics covered in The Art of Conducting (MUSIC 3122) and introduce concepts related to score study, rehearsal techniques, and advanced nonverbal communication. Competency with traditional beat patterns, a fundamental vocabulary of gestures, and the ability to read staff notation are assumed. Students will conduct orchestral, band, choral, and mixed chamber ensembles. (MUSIC-MT)

Full details for MUSIC 4121 - Advanced Conducting

This seminar serves as a rigorous introduction to the scholarly study of music and sound. We will read classic books and articles as well as more recent influential contributions, concentrating on scholarship in ethnomusicology, historical musicology, and sound studies. We will seek to understand how scholars have analyzed musical works of art, social practices of music making, and cultures of listening in different historical periods and in different parts of the world. Our goal will be to develop a general understanding of the current state of the field. (MUSIC-HC)

Full details for MUSIC 4313 - Music and Sound Studies

Individual instruction in voice, organ, harpsichord, piano and fortepiano, violin, viola, cello, percussion, and some brass and woodwind instruments to those students advanced enough to do college-level work in these instruments. For more information about individual instruction, see the section titled Musical Instruction. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 4501 - Individual Instruction

Study and performance of classic and contemporary big band literature. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 4615 - Jazz Ensemble

Study and performance of classic and contemporary small-group jazz. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 4616 - Jazz Combo

The Cornell Chamber Orchestra provides its members the opportunity to develop their artistry and enhance their knowledge of chamber orchestra and string repertoire in a dynamic and engaging environment. Students perform a variety of repertoire that encompasses works from the baroque to the 21st century through a range of activities: chamber performances, composer and repertoire readings, educational and community outreach activities, tours, and collaborations with faculty and guest artists. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 4621 - Cornell Chamber Orchestra

Small ensembles meet weekly to explore diverse flute repertoire including a variety of instrumentation (piccolo, alto flute, bass flute). There will be a performance opportunity at the end of the semester on a chamber concert or in a studio class setting. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 4631 - Chamber Flute Ensemble

Study and performance of chamber music works from duos to octets, for all instruments and voice. Students will be expected to attend a one hour coaching each week and rehearse on their own as well. There will be a final performance at the end of the semester and possible additional performance opportunities.Students may be invited to join in the department of music's weekly reading sessions with faculty by invitation. (MUSIC-PL)

Full details for MUSIC 4651 - Chamber Music Ensemble

Independent study affords students the opportunity to pursue special interests or research not treated in regularly scheduled courses. A faculty member, who becomes the student's instructor for the independent course, must approve the proposed study and agree to provide continuing supervision of the work. Students must prepare a proposal for independent study. To apply for independent study, please complete the online form. Undergraduate student and faculty advisor to determine course of study and credit hours.

Full details for MUSIC 4901 - Independent Study in Music

Second semester of the two semester honors program. In conjunction with faculty, selected candidates formulate a program that allows them to demonstrate their musical and scholarly abilities, culminating in an honors thesis, composition, or recital (or some combination of these), to be presented in their senior year.

Full details for MUSIC 4912 - Honors in Music

This seminar serves as a rigorous introduction to the scholarly study of music and sound. We will read classic books and articles as well as more recent influential contributions, concentrating on scholarship in ethnomusicology, historical musicology, and sound studies. We will seek to understand how scholars have analyzed musical works of art, social practices of music making, and cultures of listening in different historical periods and in different parts of the world. Our goal will be to develop a general understanding of the current state of the field.

Full details for MUSIC 6313 - Music and Sound Studies

A course for DMA graduate composers seeking individual music composition instruction, the course combines one-on-one meetings with group seminars featuring workshops, master classes, and/or visiting guests. In addition to individual and group meetings, composers will have opportunities for the reading and/or performance of their work.

Full details for MUSIC 7111 - Composition

One-on-one composition lessons for graduate students in the DMA in Composition. The course offers lessons with a faculty instructor, aimed at developing and discussing new works in progress.

Full details for MUSIC 7112 - Graduate Composition Lessons

This graduate seminar invites students to critically engage with sound not merely as an object of analysis but as a material practice embedded in labor, technology, and creative experimentation. Drawing on classical and cutting-edge scholarship from STS, media studies, engineering, medicine, and game studies, the course explores how sound is produced, mediated, and experienced across diverse contexts.

Full details for MUSIC 7319 - Reassembling Sound: Material, Labor, and Play

Practices associated with sound art can be found throughout the global twentieth century, but it emerged as a concept around 1980. What does it mean to say that a concept emerged? We will discuss this historiographical question at length in the seminar, tracing the genealogy of the sound-art concept and comparing its uneven historical development with various attempts at definition since 1980. Although many have advanced a logical definition based on identity conditions, we will instead adopt a historical approach. Our template will be Lydia Goehr’s influential argument about the concept of the musical work; other important authors will include Foucault, Davidson, and Hacking.

Full details for MUSIC 7323 - History of Sound Art

The experience of complete absorption is becoming increasingly rare today, due to countless demands on our attention in the form of omnipresent technological blandishments. As a result, attention is being theorized, and arguably fetishized, as perhaps never before. This seminar will explore various concepts of auditory attention, taking historical, cross-cultural, and cognitive approach to the topic. It will survey recent work from music studies, but also the history of science, literary studies, and anthropology, that explores question of attention and its perceived opposite, distraction.

Full details for MUSIC 7370 - Music and Attention

This graduate seminar approaches sound art through composing with physical materials and space. Historical and contemporary works serve as points of departure for examining the relationship between composition and sound art. The emphasis throughout is embodied and material: work is made with hands, materials, and space rather than on a screen. The course concludes with a showcase of individual or collaborative student projects in sound art. The course is open to graduate students in Music, Art, Architecture, Performing and Media Arts, and related fields.

Full details for MUSIC 7434 - Making Sound Art: Composing Material Space

Independent study affords students the opportunity to pursue special interests or research not treated in regularly scheduled courses. A faculty member, who becomes the student's instructor for the independent course, must approve the proposed study and agree to provide continuing supervision of the work.

Full details for MUSIC 7901 - Independent Study in Music